Rachel has been sick for the past few days. Actually, the past couple of weeks.
But it's been really bad this week.
I won't go into details here, but let's just say it's been stinky.
The only problem is that she isn't running a fever or acting like she's sick. She's as playful and happy as ever, which makes it all the more strange when things come leaking out of her.
OK, I said I wouldn't go into details, so I won't.
The worst part about all of this is that we found out last week our pediatrician is no longer part of Monica's insurance network. Or rather, because Northside ISD decided to switch insurance carriers, and they do that sort of thing in December, we have to switch doctors.
And that's really hard to do when you have a sick child. During flu season.
It has not been a good couple of weeks.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
NEWS FLASH!
You know it's big news in the Laleman household if there's two posts in one day...
Click here for the Quicktime version of the video.
Click here for the Quicktime version of the video.
Old School
So I finally spent the $20 and got an adapter ring so I can use Mom's old screw-mount lenses from her old Pentax 35mm camera on my shiny Pentax *istDL digital camera. They fit perfectly, and after messing with some of the settings I was able to shoot some pictures.
Because the old lenses were made before anyone even though about auto focus, I have to set everything manually on the camera, which is nice because it gets me back to my photographic roots, so to speak.
The 50mm lens, the old standard, is great because it has a huge focus range and an aperture range of 1.8-16, so it can let in a lot more light than my zoom lenses, which means I can shoot at a faster shutter speed in lower light.
If all of this is Greek to you, just check out the pictures of Rachel and Sparky I took this morning. I love they way they came out...there's just something about those old lenses that make pictures look better!
Because the old lenses were made before anyone even though about auto focus, I have to set everything manually on the camera, which is nice because it gets me back to my photographic roots, so to speak.
The 50mm lens, the old standard, is great because it has a huge focus range and an aperture range of 1.8-16, so it can let in a lot more light than my zoom lenses, which means I can shoot at a faster shutter speed in lower light.
If all of this is Greek to you, just check out the pictures of Rachel and Sparky I took this morning. I love they way they came out...there's just something about those old lenses that make pictures look better!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy Valentime's Day
Judy, our wonderful day care provider, took a couple of pictures today of Rachel and Ryan, the other child she watches. Monica likes to say that Ryan is Rachel's boyfriend, but I think the scratch on his cheek, courtesy of my daughter, proves otherwise.
Ryan's mom bought Rachel the Valentine's outfit she's wearing in the pictures.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
New Video!
It's been a while, I know, but I finally put together some clips from the last few months so ya'll can see what Rachel is up to now.
Click here to see the movie
If you have trouble seeing the video, you may need to upgrade to the newest version of Quicktime.
Click here to see the movie
If you have trouble seeing the video, you may need to upgrade to the newest version of Quicktime.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Month Eight
Dear Rachel,
Today you turn 8 months old. You're almost to the point where you've spend more time outside of your mother than you spend inside of her.
You've become very vocal in the past month, and you've started making consonant sounds and having some inflection to your voice. It's been easy to see in your face when you're excited, and now it's easy to hear in your voice when you're excited. It's also easy to hear when you're not happy.
That not happy thing doesn't happen a lot, but it almost always happens around dinner time. When we stop feeding you before you're ready, or your bottle is empty before you're ready for it to be, you make sure to let us know. Usually we distract you with something shiny to make you forget about it.
You eat so fast that I'm worried your tummy doesn't have enough time to tell you that you're not hungry any more. When we feed you solids, as soon as I pull the spoon out of your mouth, you pop it back open again, ready for the next spoonfull. You've also started letting us know vocally that you're ready for the more with a loud "AH" every time you open your mouth. You can't get enough, and you eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I'm hoping that this is a sign that you're not going to be a picky eater.
You've become much more mobile lately too, and even though you're not crawling yet, it doesn't take you long to go from one side of the room to the other. You twist yourself around, stretch out, and roll to get where you want to go. A couple of weeks ago, I sat you down in front of the mirrors on your closet doors to play for a bit, and when I came back you had turned yourself around and scooted about 5 feet across the rooms so you could play with a pile of plastic hangers, because evidently they're much more interesting than the toys we've purchased for you.
You've learned how to get yourself off your stomach, which is really cool for me to watch, and even cooler now that we don't have to worry about you getting angry that you're on your tummy and don't know what to do about it. You will get up on your hands and push yourself backward with your legs splayed out to either side. Eventually, you'll end up in the splits, walking your torso upright with your hands. When you've reached a point that you're upright enough, you'll swing your legs forward and sit up straight.
The other fun thing you've started to do is to crawl backward. You really look like you want to start crawling forward, but you just haven't gotten it down yet. You will lean forward with your left leg tucked under you and your right leg out to the side. When you get far enough forward, your right leg kicks out behind you, but your left leg keeps getting stuck. If we put you on your tummy with both legs behind you, you'll get up on your hands and start pushing yourself backward. You've figured out how to alternate hands, but you're pushing on them, rather than pulling, so you go backward. It's really funny to watch.
You're getting more and more curious about the world around you. You figured out how to pull up the corner of the rug in the living room last week, and now it's one of your favorite things to do. You'll pull it up, look underneath, and put it back down. Again, and again, and again, and again. When we're holding you and you hear the dog, you'll look around whoever is holding you to see where he is.
Speaking of the dog, I swear I heard you say "dog" the other day. Not Mamma, or Dada...your first words are Abba and Dog. Just remember, kid, Abba and Dog are not paying for your college tuition.
Mommy had to go and buy you some new clothes this month, too. Those 3-6 month things just weren't fitting anymore. We strung out those pants and onesies as long as we could. The pants were still fitting pretty well around your waist because you continue to be in the 50th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height. So you had capri pants that weren't meant to be capri pants, but it was working until it got cold.
You're growing more and more every day, and your mother and I are excited to see how much you grow and how much you learn in the coming month. We both love you very much.
Love
Daddy
Today you turn 8 months old. You're almost to the point where you've spend more time outside of your mother than you spend inside of her.
You've become very vocal in the past month, and you've started making consonant sounds and having some inflection to your voice. It's been easy to see in your face when you're excited, and now it's easy to hear in your voice when you're excited. It's also easy to hear when you're not happy.
That not happy thing doesn't happen a lot, but it almost always happens around dinner time. When we stop feeding you before you're ready, or your bottle is empty before you're ready for it to be, you make sure to let us know. Usually we distract you with something shiny to make you forget about it.
You eat so fast that I'm worried your tummy doesn't have enough time to tell you that you're not hungry any more. When we feed you solids, as soon as I pull the spoon out of your mouth, you pop it back open again, ready for the next spoonfull. You've also started letting us know vocally that you're ready for the more with a loud "AH" every time you open your mouth. You can't get enough, and you eat ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I'm hoping that this is a sign that you're not going to be a picky eater.
You've become much more mobile lately too, and even though you're not crawling yet, it doesn't take you long to go from one side of the room to the other. You twist yourself around, stretch out, and roll to get where you want to go. A couple of weeks ago, I sat you down in front of the mirrors on your closet doors to play for a bit, and when I came back you had turned yourself around and scooted about 5 feet across the rooms so you could play with a pile of plastic hangers, because evidently they're much more interesting than the toys we've purchased for you.
You've learned how to get yourself off your stomach, which is really cool for me to watch, and even cooler now that we don't have to worry about you getting angry that you're on your tummy and don't know what to do about it. You will get up on your hands and push yourself backward with your legs splayed out to either side. Eventually, you'll end up in the splits, walking your torso upright with your hands. When you've reached a point that you're upright enough, you'll swing your legs forward and sit up straight.
The other fun thing you've started to do is to crawl backward. You really look like you want to start crawling forward, but you just haven't gotten it down yet. You will lean forward with your left leg tucked under you and your right leg out to the side. When you get far enough forward, your right leg kicks out behind you, but your left leg keeps getting stuck. If we put you on your tummy with both legs behind you, you'll get up on your hands and start pushing yourself backward. You've figured out how to alternate hands, but you're pushing on them, rather than pulling, so you go backward. It's really funny to watch.
You're getting more and more curious about the world around you. You figured out how to pull up the corner of the rug in the living room last week, and now it's one of your favorite things to do. You'll pull it up, look underneath, and put it back down. Again, and again, and again, and again. When we're holding you and you hear the dog, you'll look around whoever is holding you to see where he is.
Speaking of the dog, I swear I heard you say "dog" the other day. Not Mamma, or Dada...your first words are Abba and Dog. Just remember, kid, Abba and Dog are not paying for your college tuition.
Mommy had to go and buy you some new clothes this month, too. Those 3-6 month things just weren't fitting anymore. We strung out those pants and onesies as long as we could. The pants were still fitting pretty well around your waist because you continue to be in the 50th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height. So you had capri pants that weren't meant to be capri pants, but it was working until it got cold.
You're growing more and more every day, and your mother and I are excited to see how much you grow and how much you learn in the coming month. We both love you very much.
Love
Daddy
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
More to come...
I'll be updating soon. I was kinda hoping to hear something back from ABC News about their flub. I even sent it to them, but evidently, they're ignoring their mistakes. Maybe a video on YouTube about it would get their attention.
Things have been really busy around here, but never fear, I will have a monthly newsletter for Rachel come Friday.
In the meantime, check out the new feature I added, over there to the right. You can now see my four newest pictures that I've posted on Flickr, and it links right to my photos.
Things have been really busy around here, but never fear, I will have a monthly newsletter for Rachel come Friday.
In the meantime, check out the new feature I added, over there to the right. You can now see my four newest pictures that I've posted on Flickr, and it links right to my photos.
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